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Flutter

Erin E. Moulton

Cover of Flutter

Flutter

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

The Story of Four Sisters and One Incredible Journey

by Erin E. Moulton

Reading Level 6 11ME Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

What if you had to venture through wild mountains, dodging danger at every turn, just to save someone you love? Maple and her sister Dawn face wild animals and sneaky poachers in the Green Mountains, all to find a miracle for their tiny baby sister. Can they make it through the adventure that could change everything?

Themes

SistersAdventureNatureFamily

Quick Assessment

Flutter tells the story of two sisters who embark on a challenging journey through Vermont's Green Mountains to find help for their prematurely born sibling. The book explores themes of family, bravery, and nature, with some mild suspense involving wild animals and poachers. It is appropriate for middle-grade readers aged 9-12 and offers an engaging mix of adventure and emotional connection.

Why we rated Flutter 11ME

Flutter is written at a Level 6 reading level across 200 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Flutter works for readers up to grade 8.0.

We rate Flutter as 11ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, Flutter explores sisters, adventure, nature, and family — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

  • Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
  • Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
  • Kids drawn to stories about sisters, adventure, nature.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
  • ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.

For Parents

Content Intensity

11ME — Moderate — Emotional
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Moderate
Social
Light
Thematic
Light

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

2/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

3/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
6
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
3
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

200 pages
ISBN
9780545447386
Pages
200
Publisher
Scholastic
Published
2012
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

SistersAdventure StoriesNature StoriesPoachingFamiliesAdventure and AdventurersNatureFamily LifeVermont

Places

Vermont